Penn State category, Page 44

Purdue’s Aidan O’Connell attempted 60 passes by design, and Ohio threw 40 times out of necessity. Penn State is two games into its 2022 season, and it has yet to face an offense that prioritizes running the ball. That’s going to change this weekend. Auburn is dependent on its ground...

Auburn star Derick Hall made quite the claim Monday when speaking with local media, saying: “I know our Orangeout will be better than their Whiteout.” Last year, Auburn visited Penn State and lost 28-20 in front of a sold-out Beaver Stadium crowd. Now, it’s the Tigers’ turn to host the...

STATE COLLEGE — When Jahan Dotson left for the NFL, Penn State saw a third of its receiving yards (1,182) and half of its receiving touchdowns (12) from 2021 walk out of the door. The Washington Commanders’ gain was the Nittany Lions’ loss. But Penn State focused on reloading after...

Georgia reclaimed the top spot in The Associated Press college football poll on Sunday, and Kentucky, Oklahoma State and Arkansas moved into the top 10 after an upset-filled weekend across the country. The defending national champion Bulldogs, who started the season at No. 3 in the AP Top 25 presented...

STATE COLLEGE — Throughout the offseason there were hints, some of them not subtle, from Penn State’s players and coaches about what Nick Singleton could do if he reached the second level of a defense. The five-star signee from Governor Mifflin in the Reading area had destroyed high school opponents...

STATE COLLEGE — Before freshman running back Nick Singleton got past the first line of defenders, teammate Ji’Ayir Brown knew he was going to score. Penn State’s veteran safety bounced up and down on the sideline, pointing toward the end zone just as Singleton slipped through blocks and burst down...

STATE COLLEGE — Sean Clifford had himself quite the start to the season. Three touchdowns paved the way for a double-digit halftime lead at Purdue. Third-quarter cramping forced him to the locker room for an IV, letting Drew Allar give a glimpse of the future. Clifford’s pick-six made fans wonder...

Penn State’s tight end room — a source of confidence entering the season for James Franklin and his staff — was missing a key member in the opener. Theo Johnson, a breakout candidate this fall, traveled with the team but didn’t suit up against Purdue. Franklin was “hopeful” Johnson would...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Joey Porter Jr., standing outside the visitor’s locker room at Ross-Ade Stadium after a relieving win, allowed himself to crack a smile. “Aww man,” Porter Jr. (North Allegheny) said with a hint of regret. “I’m gonna watch that one back.” Porter Jr. almost started his fourth...

Penn State was looking at an 0-1 start until Sean Clifford and the offense got its act together in the final minutes to score the game-winning touchdown at Purdue. Now James Franklin’s 1-0 Lions face a much easier assignment in their home opener vs. Ohio on Saturday. Here are some...

Fox’s coverage of the Penn State-Purdue game drew bigger national television ratings than ESPN’s broadcast of the Backyard Brawl between Pitt and West Virginia on Thursday night. According to showbuzzdaily.com, the Penn State-Purdue game drew 3.512 million viewers while the Pitt-West Virginia game drew 3.152 million viewers. The Pitt-West Virginia...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Sean Clifford threw a 10-yard TD pass to Keyvone Lee with 57 seconds left Thursday night rallying Penn State to a 35-31 victory over Purdue. Penn State has won 10 straight in the series and six of its last seven season openers. Purdue hasn’t beaten the...

Aidan O’Connell arrived at Purdue in 2017 as a hopeful, exuberant teenager. He set out to prove a walk-on could win the starting job at the “Cradle of Quarterbacks” and lead the Boilermakers to postseason success. O’Connell routinely stayed after practice for extra snaps, gladly fine-tuned his skills with the...

STATE COLLEGE — Penn State doesn’t release an official in-season depth chart anymore, but there are times when coach James Franklin is in a sharing mood. Monday morning was one of those times with PSU preparing for its Thursday night opener at Purdue. The Lions’ ninth-year coach revealed freshman quarterback...

James Franklin’s Monday morning press conference offered a bit of a surprise: true freshman Drew Allar will be Penn State’s backup quarterback at Purdue. Allar, rated as high as a five-star prospect by 247 Sports, beat out redshirt freshman Christian Veilleux for the No. 2 job behind veteran Sean Clifford....

Penn State’s preparations for its season-opening Big Ten contest Thursday at Purdue are more challenging than they might look. James Franklin and his defensive coaches know they must slow Boilermakers veteran quarterback Aidan O’Connell, a sixth-year player like the Nittany Lions’ Sean Clifford. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound O’Connell, who joined the...

Penn State’s football season is just around the corner, with a game looming against Purdue on Thursday in West Lafayette, Ind. Here are five storylines that could be key to success for the Nittany Lions in 2022. 1. Do or die with O-line Offensive line is the position group that,...

Penn State may have found a new revenue stream. The university is exploring selling alcohol on the concourse in Beaver Stadium this season, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation told the Centre Daily Times. The current plan is to have sales for the team’s second home game of the...

Ja’Juan Seider has a good idea who will take Penn State’s first carry of the season next Thursday at Purdue. He’s not going to say who, of course. It could be Keyvone Lee, last year’s top rusher. It could be veteran Devyn Ford. It could be freshmen Nick Singleton or...

Penn State named six captains for the 2022 football season Thursday, making history with two of the choices. Redshirt senior quarterback Sean Clifford and linebacker Jonathan Sutherland became the first four-time captains in program history. The addition of an extra year of eligibility for players on the roster during the...

The Big Ten’s new $7 billion media rights deal will string the conference’s top football games across three major networks each week, creating an NFL-style television schedule on Saturdays. The Big Ten announced Thursday it has reached seven-year agreements with Fox, CBS and NBC to share the rights to the...

STATE COLLEGE — In six years at Penn State, Sean Clifford has earned two degrees, learned four offenses and even started his own player promotion company. But Penn State’s quarterback came back for one reason. “It’s all ball,” Clifford said. “That’s the main priority right now.” The 24-year-old veteran, now...

STATE COLLEGE — The spotlight has been on Penn State’s offensive line since James Franklin arrived before the 2014 season. It remains there because the unit has been a problem area for long stretches. The play of the offensive line was a major issue last season, and Penn State will...